Seek and Go Hide
by KnivesLoveRoses
Summary: First wind of the event that would change everything was six months before the fact. Only Liechtenstein understood it, but there was nothing she could do to stop it, even if she tried her best. Summary could be better, but oh well. Many pairings, violence, and character deaths are going to happen. Rating may go up to M for violence later.
1. From July to January

**A/N: Oh no, look, it's that story I said I wasn't going to post because it's too long, pointless, depressing, fluffy and other weird things... but I'm posting it...  
Notes at the bottom, let's start a new (possibly long that I possibly may not finish) story! And I apologize for the horrible beginning if it seems rushed, it might not get better, and I tried to add as much other stuff as I could to have it make a bit more sense. This did start out as just a writing exercise, after all.  
**

* * *

_A July afternoon in Switzerland  
With Vash and Lili_

"I'm so happy." Lili said softly, chewing on a sandwich.

Vash looked out at the mountains, used to her spoken thoughts. This was practically a daily occurrence, the picnic in the grassy fields. It was practically the same, except the outfits and temperatures changed. It was the only difference, really. Being neutral came with advantages- this was one of them.

She fidgeted a bit, bites smaller and more drawn out, as if in thought. Vash only glanced at her, as this was unusual.

"Big bruder?" She asked, a nervous look on her face.

"Yes?"

She fidgeted again, this time plucking individual bits of grass. "Does something seem strange to you?"

He looked at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Does it seem… exposed? The land?"

He thought about it, but shook his head. "Not really. Why? Do you think so?"

She nodded, taking another bite. "Different."

He gave her a worried glance before eating some of his own meal. What did the young nation mean by exposed? She'd never pointed out such a strange thing before. She usually only talked about silly things like bluer skies, or greener grass. Exposure? What was that supposed to mean? They were outside- that word meant too many things for it to make sense.

Of course, though, Vash would later realize that Lili was the first to notice the unraveling secrets. But everything was too perfect to notice it right now. It would take a few months for the hell revealed itself.

_A July evening in Switzerland  
With Vash_

As the lunch was finished and shadows began to roll in, Vash decided it would be best if they returned home. Lili agreed, but she was unusually timid. He would have to ask her about this at dinner. Surely it wasn't because of their location- Lili had been residing in Switzerland for the past few months and they had going to the same place for a picnic ever since. It baffled him.

She put the basket on the counter and quickly scurried up the stairs. He was used to her leaving almost immediately after their return, but given recent events, he was worried.

He shook the though away. To busy himself, he put the basket in its usual space in the kitchen, since it was used so often. He took his jacket off, hanging it on a coathook in the hallway. Lili must've taken hers with her, since it wasn't there. He sighed. This was such an unusual day…

The storm was also another unusual thing. He would have been prepared and planned something else for their lunch, like maybe go to Berne or maybe visit Vaduz, since she was probably missing Liechtenstein…

But if she were missing home, she could just tell him and he would drive her there. This couldn't have caused her to feel uncomfortable.

So what _was_ bothering her? Nobody he trusted was in a close enough area (then again, he chose this home because people rarely came here)- unless Elizaveta was in Austria, but it would still be too far, and he didn't like calling other nations (or anyone for that matter).

He would go out and take practice shots to release the tension, but it had already started to pour. So he decided to make dinner early.

_A July evening, in Switzerland, around five  
With Vash and Lili_

She ate quietly, not looking up from her meal. They weren't usually very silent when eating, the usually conversed softly. But the silence made Vash uncomfortable, so he had to ask Lili about earlier.

"Are you alright? You haven't been yourself since the picnic."

His random input scared her, making her jump. "I'm just fine, bruder."

"It doesn't seem like it."

Her worried look did not go away. "Things just seem different. That's all."

"Alright… you know you can tell me anything, right?"

She smiled. "Of course I do. I just don't know how to explain it. That's why I'm not telling you, Vash."

He went along with this excuse for a few months.

_October, around the world_

The chaos quietly predicted by Lili earlier that year was beginning to show itself. Alfred and Heracles had left their homes in their countries for other places- safer places. Their existence as country personifications had been discovered. Such a rare occurrence it was… it deeply surprised older nations, namely Yao. Unrest flared now in then in Belarus, occasionally in Turkey, a few times in France and handful in England. Once in Japan and South Korea. But only Alfred and Heracles were bothered by it, really. Mostly, the other nations shrugged it off. These outbursts had been going on recently. It wasn't new.

Eventually, Natalya and Katyusha joined the two hiding nations. Awareness had peaked intrest. But it wasn't major… not yet, at least.

_October, in the World Summit Place (Canada)_

"I don't expect them to come. They're not stupid… well, not _all _of them are stupid…" Arthur trailed off. "They wouldn't come to the Meeting Places. They're being tracked."

"I think our main concern for this meeting is the fact four of our members have gone into hiding because they have been discovered. We've been ignoring it for a few meetings, but it's about time we talk about it." Kiku said.

"I agree, aru." Yao nodded. "This is very strange."

"Where exactly _are_ they hiding?" Antonio asked cautiously.

A quiet voice spoke. "Well, I know America is hiding in my country. Somewhere." Matthew paused. "I believe he's trying to get the rest to join him there, too."

"Alright, well, I need to get in contact with America." Antonio muttered. "Italy and Romano, too."

"They found you?" Arthur said, a bit more than surprised.

"It's why they're not here. I'm just letting you all know that we're not going to be here for a while."

Matthew handed Antonio his cellphone.

"Anyone else need to make a call?" Matthew asked. Obviously Antonio wasn't the only one.

Ivan.

Feliks.

Michelle.

Antonio looked over his shoulder with a light sigh. "I'm bringing a few others, too."

A pause.

"Russia, Poland and Seychelles."

The meetings were frequent now, usually held in Hong Kong, Switzerland or Canada. The safe house had been made clear to every country.

If you missed two meetings, you were believed to be in the safehouse.

_October, in the World Summit Place (Switzerland)_

"So China is gone…" Arthur sighed. "How soon before the rest of us?"

"I'm thinking soon for me." Francis admitted. "People have been hanging around my home. I best leave soon."

"I'm going next week." Elizaveta confessed.

"Alright, a raise of hands, who else is going?"

A hand was earned from the countries of Egypt, Turkey, Latvia and Belgium.

"That's a lot of you…" Ludwig sighed.

"We can't stay there. It's not good that they're figuring it out- we need to leave." Sadiq grumbled.

"You all understand, don't you?" Bella asked.

"Yes… but we're losing so many members so quickly… it may just be best we all leave. Sporadically, of course. So it's not as suspicious." Toris said.

"I'm not leaving unless necessary. With Liechtenstein." Vash said with defense strong in his voice.

"When I leave, someone needs to take Sealand." Arthur said, clearly not wanting to take him.

"I'll take Sealand." Tino smiled.

"Well, Prussia will go with me." Ludwig said. Gilbert could be heard complaining in the distance.

"Next meeting we'll decided when each of us should leave. It'll be in Hong Kong, okay?"

_A January morning in Switzerland  
With Vash and Lili_

"Lili, hurry up." Vash warned the girl.

"I'm trying, bruder." She called from her room.

With a defensive man such as Vash, he had refused to leave until absolutely necessary. But being the last two to leave their homes, they sure now was the time to leave. Before airports closed.

The plane ride made Vash nervous. If any so much as looked at Lili or himself, he would shoot them a glare.

He was glad for some things, though, even if it exposed his identity more. Being a nation, his boss had not yet revoked some privileges. He wasn't going to shoot anyone on the plane, his boss knew that. So he got right through the security, carrying about ten guns, large and small, with him. This wouldn't be a problem when they got to Canada, either, unless his boss had figured out he was fleeing, not just visiting. But he probably didn't, since he'd been going to Canada for planning meetings quite often recently. It would only become suspicious when he didn't return after a day or two.

He spent too money on buses. But he had no car, not in Canada at least. He just hoped all these buses were worth it- hoping that they hadn't moved their hideout without even telling Vash or Lili.

To say the least, he was paranoid.

Eventually they found the apartment, after going to several buildings and looking like complete idiots. He couldn't trust anyone, so they were stuck. If anyone asked what they were doing, he'd reply in German, since French would be rather stupid to try and confuse people with in _Canada_. So far, it had been working. But now he had found the apartment, and was beyond relieved. It was in a busy city, perfect for meshing with society. But how they fit everyone into the one apartment didn't make sense to him.

He knocked on the metal door. He carried Lili as she slept. It had been a long day, running around Canada looking for one stupid apartment. He wished he were sleeping, too.

"C'mon, hurry up, would you?" he muttered to himself. He just hoped the was the place…

Ten minutes later, Ludwig opened the door. The relief in his eyes was evident when he saw Vash.

"Well, then. You're the last ones…"

* * *

**A/N: Was it good? I have been debating whether or not to post it because it is very long, I know that not even having all the middle parts planned out. I have the ending, it's depressing, I have another chapter after this one written, then I've just got to string the beginning and ends together and I've completed the story.**

**Pairing wise, there's going to be a lot. It's got my OTP, which is AmeBel, so if you don't like it, get over it or leave or ignore it, please. That goes for all the pairs. And please don't bother me if a pair isn't in here- I have quite a few I absolutely will not put into a story.  
**

**There's a bit of PruCan, and I _know_ people don't like PruCan, but it's got PruHun in bits... but Hungary's main pair is AusHun.  
**

**Ugh, okay, there are _too many_ pairings. Let's think of a few I know are in here for sure, no debates, no matter how large or small  
**

**AmeBel, slight LietBel, onesided RusBel, LietPol, RoChu, Giripan, Turkey x Egypt (does this pair have a name? I want it), slight Turkey x Ukraine, FraBelg (which is France x Belgium), UKSey/EngSey (I call it UKSey, but that's weird huh?), slight FraSey, slight PruHun, slight SwissHun (guess who found a new ship that's really random?), AusHun, SeaLiech (Sealand x Liechtenstein), Monaco x Latvia, Taiwan x S. Korea, HongIce, DenNor, SuFin... am I missing any? Oh, GerIta and Spamano (Spamano is an OTP of mine and I forgot it... I feel dumb) oh, pfft, and PruCan...duh...  
Possibly some SpaBelg... but I doubt it...  
**

**That's pretty much it.  
I've already got the next chapter written. It just depends on when I want to post it... :/**

For those reading Decisions Made, _this_ is what I've been working on instead. XD. I've been neglecting that for _this_. But I updated it today so nobody complains!

**Oh, we'll see how things go. Hope you liked it, see you later, Hetalians.  
**


	2. So Sentimental

There was hardly room for anyone in this place, especially when it came to sleeping. Vash, like many others, took their place cramped on the floor for sleep. Lili, like the younger nations like Peter and Raivis, were awarded the couch. Normally he would be appalled at the idea of Lili sleeping anywhere near those boys, but he had no choice, since he really didn't want her sleeping on this disgusting floor.

Life here was bustling. But rarely was there talk above a soft whisper. And considering the amount of people in the room that was surprising.

The only person who ever left was Matthew- he used to live relatively close to this building, and people would think of him as an average citizen, since they were so used to seeing him. And since they were in Canada, nobody seemed to 'forget' him.

Most days it was decent food, but anything like what Vash was used to. Of course it was better that way, because if _he_ were to make the food, he would spend double the amount of time in the store as Matthew did, and be tedious about every single step in every single meal he made. He shouldn't be complaining.

"So what made you two come?" Elizaveta asked softly, sitting near Vash as she waited for Matthew to return with food.

"We kept getting wind of the airports closing." He sighed. "If we didn't get out then, we'd be stuck."

"Oh."

"I guess we could've always gone to Liechtenstein to hide for a little longer… but I didn't want to risk it."

She nodded. "It was probably best. But you know that they're figuring it out, right?" she bit her lip. "It's only a matter of time before they figure out where we're hiding. They know we're in this city."

"So it would've been better if-"

"No. I'm not saying that at all." She said defensively. "You would've been found eventually. The public knows our faces. Matthew is taking a large risk going out there. It speeds up our discovery, but we need food."

He nodded, sighing a bit. He was checking bullets for his guns throughout the whole discussion, but she didn't really see anything rude or wrong about it.

"I'm not the only one who brought weapons, right?" he asked. "I even got Lili to carry a few pistols."

She smiled. "No. I know that Gilbert brought a few old swords he can't leave behind, I brought a dagger or two. I'm sure Lovino and Alfred brought guns, and Antonio probably somehow got his axe with him. Natalya probably brought all her knives."

"Have they left ever since then?" he asked, softer. "The original four?"

"I doubt it. They're all obviously a bit stir crazy… but I think they realize it's better than being caught."

* * *

It had only been three days since Vash and Lili arrived. And it was already over.

There was a heavy banging coming from other apartments, of people, government people, looking for them.

"They found us." Matthew muttered softly, yet loud enough for everyone to hear.

Everyone except Vash and Lili had been made aware of the place they were to go, just to throw them off a little more. So the two just followed the crowd, into a tiny room, pressed from wall to wall. There was no window, but even if there was, they couldn't escape out of it. It would be too obvious.

Vash and Lili were at the very front, and although Vash didn't really mind (he had the most weapons), Lili was his main concern. But running to the back was impossible.

"It won't hold them off forever. Just stay still and quiet." Matthew cautioned.

Besides the banging of metal against metal, there was no sound.

"Bruder…" Lili whimpered, grabbing his hand.

"Be quiet, Lili." He whispered, thumb rubbing her hand, which was supposed to be of some sort of use to comfort her.

"You're not helping." Roderich snapped at him softly.

Vash shot a glare at him, picking Lili up as they hear the door be kicked in.

"You're going to be okay." Whispered into Lili's ear.

"Okay." She replied very softly, wrapping her arms around his neck, hiding her face from everyone.

"Everyone out! We know you're in here!" a male voice boomed.

No one budged.

"Get out!" another yelled.

Lili's tears soaked Vash's jacket.

In every pair of eyes, pain was obvious. Things seemed slower, moving at a pace that reminded one of a dreaming state. Slow and winding, everything happening as if you were just observing.

His heart snapped when the room hiding them busted open.

He was pushed with the crowd, protecting Lili along the way. His coat and her coat were lined with important things. His, guns and a few keepsakes. Hers also held guns, but lighter, smaller ones. She had put clothes, both her own and Vash's, pictures and books in a bag, which she held close to her, in order not to lose it. Sentimental was a word that could describe her.

"Move it! Stand where they can see you."

Residents gaped at the sight before them.

Flash.

Camera flashes lit the early morning sky.

A microphone was shoved into Vash's face.

"State your country name. In English."

He blinked. "Switzerland." He said, in a very oblivious monotone.

They grabbed at Lili, and he pushed them back.

"Don't touch her."

"Then who is she?"

"Liechtenstein."

The woman moved on. A scared Tino, emotionless Berwald and frightened Peter stood next to him.

"Finland." His voice was small and scared.

"Sweden." His voice had surprised the reporter, making her jump a bit.

"And you?"

Peter stayed quiet.

"Well?"

"He's Sealand." Tino said for him.

She laughed. "Never heard of it."

"Then look it up." Arthur said in the distance.

A small smile appeared on Peter's lips.

She moved on.

"Belarus." She glared. The reporter wasn't given a chance to ask.

"Rude." She replied.

Alfred grabbed Natalya's shoulders as she tried to attack the woman, desperately reaching for a knife to throw.

"You?"

"America."

She laughed heartily before flicking him off.

Vash tuned out the conversations, as did everyone else.

Until she got to Gilbert.

Everyone paid attention.

"Who are you?" she was obviously confused by his white hair and red eyes.

"Prussia."

"Shouldn't you be dead?"

Gilbert resisted the urge to punch her. She noticed.

"Go ahead, hit me."

"Why don't you move on?"

"Fine." She said. "What an asshole." She added.

"Shut the hell up, why don't you?"

"I'm doing my job."

They were stuffed into a car, driving down a snowy road for what seemed like hours. Time passed with no voices. Only whimpers and shifting coats made noise.

Snow continued to fall around them, but it only melted in the bright white sunlight of the morning sky.

* * *

**A/N:** as of right now I don't care about reviews, not on this story. I don't, but it's kinda depressing.

But what am _I_ saying? I lurk stories.

Okay, whether you're a lurker or just some random person, hope you liked it. I know it sucks. Oh well. It was bothering me that I hadn't posted this even though it's kind of stupid.

See you whenever I post, readers who read this.


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